I Hear Your Voice
by Ruefully-yours
Summary: For years, I've learned and been forced to listen to voices that I don't even want to listen to. It hurts but I try to put up with it because it's the burden I have to carry from the traumatic past I've had. When unexpected people barged into my world, will they listen to my voice?
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.

Now, guys. I need you to read the author's note below since I know how much irritating it is whenever you read an author's note before the story... Anyways, enjoy!

* * *

 _Once upon a time, there was a huge continent, so huge that it won't be an ideal place to live in._

 _A powerful being- the most powerful among every beings- had decided to seek help to his comrades- his fellow legendaries- so as this issue will be solved, and the continent shall be inhabited by different species and races for it would be such a waste if they don't do anything with this continent._

 _And so with the other legendaries' help, along with his supreme abilities, they were able split the continents into seven. When the powerful being was satisfied with the outcome, he began appointing different legendaries to protect certain aspects in order to maintain the balance of the world they had created. After that, the appointed legendaries retreated into the depths of the world in order to fulfill their duties, leaving the powerful being on his own._

 _The powerful being's name is... Arceus._

 _Throughout the years, the seven continents were began to be inhabited by pokemon, evolving as time goes by. They had the entire world to roam freely and as they pleases because of this, Arceus couldn't help but to feel accomplished and proud for the creation he had made along with the other legendaries._

 _But when the pokemon died one by one without any help, he knew he had to take action for this. He couldn't just let his creation go to waste and so eventually, mankind was brought to coexist with pokemon. To bond, and protect each other for as long as they all live._

 _As humans continue to grow in numbers, the need for their evolution grew as well as they managed to make discoveries that made their lives easier allowing changes in the way they think and the way they live._

 _Because of the development of humans and their ability to build technology, Arceus had no choice but to watch as progress changed the way they think and because of such, humans began to explore to unlock more and more possibilities._

 _They learned everything even the existence of the legendaries and he himself and the power they possess._

 _Over the years, because of what humans had learned, some groups were formed, and some organizations began to plot ways to attain endless powers that he possess, wanting the ultimate power for their own gain._

 _Fearing for what might happen to the world, he and the other legendaries searched and searched to find hearts as pure as snow to be the protectors of the world, should the world ever need them._

 _The Guardians, as what they are called. They were chosen because of a unique quality they possess together with hearts pure as snow. They were called together with their chosen mentors to save the world into the hands of the organization that had threatened to rift the balance apart. The battle was so great that it cost their lives._

 _But it was all worth it._

 _For tranquility and peace followed after their heroic deed._

 _Thousand years later, a new threat emerged from the shadows. This threat is more dangerous, and more powerful now that advanced technology exist._

 _The question is... who will save the world now?_

* * *

Welcome to I Hear Your Voice!

Four years ago, I decided to post a story of mine publicly and since then, I tried to finish writing it. For some reason, I didn't get to finish it so my cousin guilt tripped me into finishing the first story I ever posted. And so since I found myself reading it all over again, chiding myself how stupid I was with all the errors and all so I wrote it all over again and decided on a different title and different style of writing.

And thus, why this is born (well more likely written just for the sake of my guilt tripping cousin) Oh well. Here goes nothing. I hope you guys take time into reading this one... Thanks!

A great motivation for me is the story I've read: _**Mission: Save the World**_ by _**schoolmouse33**_. Also, shoutout to a great writer out there: _**jayfeather12345**_!

I know this one is short so just bear with me. I'll post the next chapter after I post this one and man, the other one is super long! So you have to tell me what you guys think. I really need motivation to pull this off.

Thank you guys for reading this!

Cheerio!

~A


	2. 1- Isabelle

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon

* * *

There are two types of noises that exist in my world.

One is the noise that everyone hears; the physical sound of different objects, whether they are human, or pokemon sounds or the sound of nature.

And the other one…is the sound only _I can hear_ ; the hidden voices from deep within us.

I guess you could say that I'm special; one of a kind. That I am blessed with an ability that people would kill to have and that I might have done something in my past life to deserve something… _extraordinary_.

It's pretty cool to have this kind of power, I think that would be what most people would say. But to me? It's not really cool.

All it ever done to me is cause me painful headaches and dizzy spells for listening too much to what people are thinking, feeling the same emotion as they are.

This ability is nothing but pain to me and if people in Oak Academy find out the insults would increase tenfold. I am a freak, I could imagine them saying that.

To avoid any conflicts and complications, my best friend's brother, Max found a way for me to drown all those thoughts and emotions away and that is through the use of headphones and iPod, cranking the volume as high as it could get.

Max had told me that loud music can drown the voices out and if that's the case with normal hearing, why not try it with my ability then? The first time I tried it, the headache subsided easily as I drown myself with the music instead of the voices inside.

Before I could even get lost in my thoughts, I felt a feathery touch on my shoulder, making me jump in surprise.

' _You're ditching again,_ '

I opened my eyes only to find myself looking at a pair of sapphire irises that belonged to my best friend, May Maple.

' _Mr. Robert will probably kill us again if he found out that we ditched homeroom again._ ' **Anxiousness.**

' _So?_ ' I asked her as I closed my eyes to prevent myself from hearing more of her paranoia with our homeroom adviser who is at some point, had something against May because of her constant tardiness.

I could imagine her cheeks puffing out in annoyance before sighing in resignation as she plopped down beside me.

Since May woke up late earlier, I told Max to go ahead of us while I waited for May to finish getting ready. And since we are late anyway, I snuck passed May, leaving her to decide whether she would ditch homeroom with me or not. I made my way to the old Maple tree and sat down underneath it while I listened to the music to distract me from the noises.

It took May four minutes to find me in my current position.

I opened one eye only to see my hunch was right. May indeed sat down beside me, staring as if she was studying me like I'm sort of an exotic pokemon waiting to be discovered.

' _What?_ ' I asked her, fidgeting underneath her gaze. I was never for attention. I hated every tiny bits of it.

"It's been seven years since Professor took us in. Don't you think it's time for us to resume our journey?"

Unlike me, May can talk normally using her voice. She and I have different yet the same abilities; hers being able to hear thoughts through touching people while I am able to hear anyone's thoughts so long as I see their eyes.

May and I can hear thoughts but that's just as far as our abilities are similar. As what Professor had told us before, we have different set of abilities.

Alongside being able to hear people's thoughts through their eyes, I can also feel what they are feeling with the condition that I am looking through the eyes of the person as well, overlapping my own collected demeanor, causing my headache to strengthen.

My world is very noisy and I envy May for having such limited ability. She is able to choose whoever she wishes to touch while I have no control over mine. Because of such reason, I dislike talking using my normal voice and instead, rely on May and Max to translate whatever I say to people.

I became the school's charity case because I am _mute_.

Well, it's not really my fault since the main reason why I became _mute_ is due to the traumatic incident that I experienced when I was five. I was tortured and left to fend for myself before meeting May and Max, setting out for a journey to find answers to our questions.

Since their parents died when they were young, they did not hesitate to join me, establishing the three of us to fend for each other, becoming a band of three as we went from Petalburg all the way to Rustboro City where we met Professor Oak and his grandson.

He is this kind man whose job is to research about the relationships between pokemon and its trainers and he is the one who rescued us from the wild pokemon we had encountered. He had opened an academy for trainers and offered us a place to stay…until we are in the right age to resume the journey May, Max, and I had originally set on.

I paused the music I was playing. _Is it time for us to begin searching for answers again?_ I slightly threw my head back on the trunk of the tree as flashes from before played in my mind, projecting them to May as well.

She gasped at the sudden intrusion but relaxed when she realized that I meant no harm. I want her to answer the question on her own as I've answered that one before. When the flashes stopped, she turned to me while I pressed to continue the song that was playing earlier to avoid getting rush from May's usual chaotic thoughts.

* * *

"You know, if you're going to ditch homeroom every day, you might as well ask Professor Oak to remove that class from your schedules." Max chided as we meet up with him for lunch.

Oak Academy is open for all trainers and since it was Professor Oak who took us in when we were young, he made sure that we are also receiving education in his academy. May and I are already in our junior year while Max- since he is smarter than the rest of his peers, receives special advanced classes, allowing his schedule to be in sync with ours.

We always meet up during lunch underneath the Maple tree that May and I took refuge from ditching Mr. Robert's homeroom. Usually, Max is the one getting food from the cafeteria while May and I meet him here for the reason that the cafeteria is always full of people and I always get headaches whenever I try to eat there.

"Belle was the one who ditched-"

"Oh cut the crap sis," Max rolled his eyes. "You and I both know you are too scared to face Mr. Robert yourself." He said to which earned a grin from me.

"Oh yeah?" May huffed. "You're the one to talk. I bet you cut your classes-"

' _We all know that the world will meet its end before Max even decides to cut classes._ ' I told May to which she simply glared at me as she returned her attention to her food, leaving Max's attention directed towards me.

' _What?_ ' I raised my eyebrow.

Whenever there's no one around, I usually drop the mute girl act and simply communicate with the siblings through mental projection since Max, for some unknown reasons was born normally. He do not possess any abilities that May and I have except maybe his superior knowledge but that was because he has always been a fascinated kid.

Max glanced at me, allowing me to read his thoughts. Unlike the usual people I unconsciously read, Max's thoughts are well organized, giving me peace instead of the usual noise I get from reading people's minds.

' _Are you going to continue your journey?_ ' He asked, concern immediately consuming me. A perk of being an empath is I could immediately distinguish who is genuine with what they show me so I know very well if I am being treated as a charity case or not.

' _I'm not yet sure, Max. I have to ask Professor Oak's approval first before I set out on a journey. He might worry if he finds out that I've gone missing._ ' I told him as the bell tower signalled for the end of lunch period, ending our conversation.

"Are you guys done talking?" May asked to which we nodded our heads at. "Alright, we have to go now. We'll see you later Max." She bid goodbye to her brother as she dragged me to our next class, leaving Max to throw away our trashes.

"May you have to clean up the mess!" He called after her.

"We still have to catch our class so you do it yourself!" She yelled back as she ran from her fuming brother, dragging me along with her.

I sighed as I let myself dragged. I don't really want to face an angry Max if he ever catches up with us.

* * *

The sound of screaming ladies immediately greeted my ears as May and I approached our history class and that is saying something considering that I am blasting some loud music right now.

My hunch for such matter is that one of the five heartthrobs of this academy is somewhere near us- or it could be the five of them are on the same area. Either way, May and I are in for some serious ear problems.

Oak Academy is just like any other schools; this is a place where social status matters. The same rule is being followed: the populars are on top of the chain while the lowest of the low a.k.a nerds are on the bottom.

May and I established that we're not going to attract attention on us but at the same time, we shouldn't be in the bottom since it also attracts the attention of the school- just not the nice attention. And so, we decided to just blend in like the rest of the normal students but we found out that it's impossible since Professor Oak had taken us in.

Don't get me wrong, I love Professor Oak and he had become like a grandfather to me but sometimes, I just wish that students here just leave it like that. Too bad Professor Oak has a grandson who is included in the popular chain.

"There you girls are!" A familiar voice called us in, diverting the attention of the screaming girls to us, breaking their screams into hushed whispers.

I closed my eyes so I won't get to hear what their thoughts have to say about me. I've figured out what they usually think of me long time ago and I am not going to let it repeat again.

May and I shared a look before a guy wedged himself in between of us, slinging both his arms around our shoulders with May on his left while I stood at his right.

"Hey Gary," May greeted while I waved my hand at him in a two finger salute as a greeting.

Gary Oak, the number one player of the school. He is the grandson of Professor Oak and a childhood friend of ours. Despite him being a popular, he doesn't mind mingling with May, Max, and I. After all, he spent two years of his childhood resenting us but when he heard our stories, he vowed to treat us as if we are family to him.

He happened to be one of the few populars who is nice to May and I and doesn't treat me like a charity case.

"I've been looking everywhere for you two!" He said in a loud voice making me roll my eyes at him. I turned slightly to meet his gaze.

' _I hope May-May and Belle catch up with what I'm trying to do, these girls are ripping my limbs!_ ' **Desperation.**

I sighed as I turned to May who looked like she wanted to laugh at Gary's misery. Since he is holding her, she had access to his thoughts as well.

"Play along, ladies." Gary whispered to which earned giggles from May while I rolled my eyes playfully at him.

May and I simultaneously walked towards the classroom, leaving his fan girls plot ways on how to kill May and I for being close to their precious heartthrob.

When we reached the safety of our classroom, he sighed in relief as he turned to us, his hold never left its place.

"Thanks, ladies." He whispered as he kissed both of our cheeks to which we scowled at.

"Don't treat us like your fan girls, Garrison." May whispered to which I nodded in agreement while he just grinned at us. "We took pity on you so it's only fair if you treat us to dinner later."

I shrugged his arm from my shoulder and faced him. " _Better yet, you cook for us._ " I signed to him to which he had crinkled his nose at and flicked mine.

Because I am _mute_ , I decided to communicate to chosen people using sign language. I learned using it when I was eleven years old, the same age I began travelling. I, then taught Max, and May, then Professor Oak.

While Gary…since he had harbored a grudge on us before, he adamantly decided not to learn sign language and ignored the rest of us but when he saw me one time struggling with a pokemon at his grandfather's ranch, he surprised me by communicating me through sign language. Turns out he secretly learned it by himself to communicate better with me.

"You and I both know that I hated cooking, Belle." He protested. "Think of something else."

I huffed at him as I turned to find my seat, making Gary widen his eyes and reached for my hand. "Alright, alright. I'll cook for you two… Just don't ignore me." He said in defeat.

Ever since then, Gary had treated May and I like his younger sisters while he treated Max as his younger brother even if we are not related to him. Despite him having the image of a cold blooded player, he could never stand it whenever I ignore him. After all, he and I are the closest with almost one year of age gap.

I smiled and patted his cheek in gratefulness while May gave him a subtle hug before the rest of the students come in and see that we are interacting with him.

Even though our relationship is as close as of brother and sisters, we don't really talk to him that much in school because of the social pyramid… well, that and his jerk friends.

The popular crowd consists of eight people. Every one admired them because of their looks, brains, or even their achievements but what made May and I stand out from the crowd is that we don't really care much of what they are because to us, they are merely nothing but jerks who got everything their way.

The screams from outside intensified, making May and I groan. It's the same routine every day, I don't get why people are gaga over them…especially those so called heartthrobs.

And it didn't really help that in May and I share classes with them. Sometimes, we have the worst luck in the world…and over some petty things too.

May tapped my shoulder. ' _Here they come now._ ' She groaned as she relayed her thoughts to me. It doesn't help as well that my best friend sat behind me in this class.

' _My headache's becoming worse. I should've gone while I had the chance._ ' I told her in response.

The first of the popular to make their way inside the classroom (as if they should have an entrance procession) is Ashton Ketchum, or as his friends call him: Ash. Black hair, dark brown eyes, slightly tanned complexion to match the goofy grin on his face, this guy is the nicest guy among the populars but I have yet to encounter him.

Nice and caring, that's what his nature is but he is somewhat a complete dense with everything. He may be smart at battling ( _I've observed him once during battle class and damn, this kid is good!_ ) but he is off with academics. His love for food and pokemon is why people are drawn to him.

The next of the popular to enter is Dawn Berlitz, the legacy as what her fan boys had dubbed her. Blue hair that reached past her shoulders, cobalt blue eyes, fair complexion; this girl is no doubt the typical girly girl who is interested in cheerleading and gossip magazine.

Loud and obnoxious, this girl's thoughts are messier than May (and that is saying something!) and full of unnecessary thoughts. From what I gathered, her mother is a legendary coordinator before and she is following her footsteps, thus the _legacy_ nickname. I even heard that her mother is such a sweetheart. Too bad she is clearly not the same as her. This girl can rival Gary at his player ways with her being the heartbreaker.

She may be all sugar, spice, and everything nice but when you look past the makeup, you'll see just how obnoxious she is.

The third and obviously, the leader of the pack: Andrew Hayden, though he preferred to be called as Drew. Chartreuse hair, emerald green eyes, pale complexion; he is the epitome of _perfection_ … or as what his fan girls would say.

He's got it all: brains, looks, fame, and money. Everyone looks up to him because he happens to be the youngest Top Coordinator ever. Because of such, he has an ego as large as Gary's. He's being admired and he knows it. With his annoying hair flick and all, he basked the spotlight as if he might as well be the king of the world.

I turned my head to look at May only to have her fuming at the sight of her rival. Ever since we set foot on this academy, Drew and she never got along because he always criticizes and mocks her. I could see smoke coming from the pencil so I immediately snatched it away from her to avoid suspicions. She snapped out of her reverie and looked at me gratefully from saving her from an impending mess.

I, on the other hand never tried to stay in the sight of the green haired dude. He never noticed me and I try not to be noticed by him, due to his large pack of fan girls, and because his thoughts are more of a brewing storm; something that comforts and at the same time, scare me.

The fourth to make appearance is Dylan Thomas, the president of the student council. Dark olive green hair that kinda looks a lot like dark brown, golden eyes, fair complexion; he might as well be the responsible guy in their group.

I have only interacted with him once and I never stuck around to hear his thoughts. To me, he might be mysterious but easy to read, especially since I can see how his eyes were made to observe people. He can be goofy like Ash, protective like Gary, charismatic like Drew, and maybe even elusive like the purple kid. He is the perfect combination of the four out of five heartthrobs but I couldn't help but feel like there's more to him than that.

And I don't want to know.

The fifth member is of course, Gary Oak. Spiky brown hair, dark viridian eyes, slightly tanned complexion; he is the researcher in the making, according to Professor Oak but we knew better than that. As I've mentioned earlier, he is the player and the heartbreaker of girls, the male counterpart of Dawn Berlitz.

He is a strong battler ( _May and Max had battled with him before and they both lost_ ) and he might be the second most popular after Drew, with the ladies, he is the perfect example of a person with a thousand masks.

The sixth of the populars is none other than Ms. Leah Felicity Green, or as people had known her: Leaf. ( _That's the perk of hearing thoughts. You get to know their embarrassing names._ ) Brown hair, brown eyes, pale complexion, she is the cold lady, as what the rumors would say about her.

Cunning, sly, and mischievous; at least, that's what I can see from her eyes. She's scary to mess with as what happened with the cheerleaders who tried to attack her from before when she was still a transferee. She quickly raised ranks when she managed to defeat Gary on a battle and when she had befriended Misty-who is really scarier than her. She's beautiful, that's why she had earned fan clubs of her own.

Her rivalry and connection with Gary had officially earned her spot inside that little circle of theirs. I knew her from Gary's stories from before they had moved to Rustboro City and I guess she knew me well enough to at least earn a wave from her. Although, those waves of her aren't reciprocated from the pity thoughts she was giving me.

The seventh member, the scariest, is Misty Waterflower. Orange hair tied in a side ponytail, peridot green eyes, tanned complexion; she is the girl with that stupid mallet. ( _Of course, that is entirely on my opinion_ )

Short tempered, impatient, and blunt; those are the words that perfectly describe her as a person. She doesn't like it whenever people mingle with them because she thinks that everyone will just take advantage of them. ( _Kinda like me._ ) She doesn't trust easily, that's what I know. She's guarded especially her thoughts but I can easily penetrate those wall of hers.

She earned her place in that circle because of her sisters, the Sensational Sisters ( _though I don't really know what's the fuzz about them_ ) and her exceptional skills in battling ( _I heard she is a Gym leader in Cerulean before she decided to continue her studies_ )

And the last but definitely not the least, Paul Shinji; the purple kid. ( _Don't ever tell him that nickname!_ ) Purple hair, black eyes, and slightly tanned complexion; this kid is the most anti-social among them and it's quite a wonder why he was in that circle in the first place.

He doesn't really care about anything in the world, except maybe to become a champion and elite. This proves why he pushes his pokemon to the limit just so he could be a strong battler. But behind those eyes, I could see how much of a person he is. Though he is colder than Leaf, and scarier than Misty, this guy, I think cares about some things…

The populars of the Oak Academy are strange bunch. They don't have that much of similarity so I do wonder…what's keeping them all together?

I was about to ask May about that when the late bell rang, making most of the students in our class scamper to their seats as Mr. Steven walked in. He is this cool dude who happens to be our teacher in History.

One look in his eyes and I knew what the topic will be and I know this will be an interesting one.

Subtly, I removed my left arm from my desk and silently reached out for May's extended arms. This is how we communicate through class without any suspicion from anyone since I can't really risk my mental projection ability.

I let May read what's on my mind before she started throwing out her thoughts as well. ' _Is this a sign? Are we supposed to leave now?_ ' She asked.

I looked up to see what Mr. Steven has drawn for us this time and saw that it was a battlefield where ten teenaged looking people were placed as if they were battling something really dark.

I concentrated back to May and heaved out the response. ' _We need to see Professor Oak, now._ '


	3. 2- May

I don't own Pokemon

* * *

I reeled back in surprise just as Isabelle dropped my hand. Could it be that it's time for us to leave and continue our journey? I smiled at the thought. But then again, what about our studies here? We couldn't just leave in the middle of the school year, right? And what about Max? She told me that he will never ditch his classes so are we just going to leave him here? So what should we do? Option A: We go to Professor Oak, as what Belle said and ask him if we could travel again with Max? B: Run away, leaving a note saying that we've gone fishing? Or C: Ask Max to cover for ourselves while we run away?

"Miss Maple,"

I felt Isabelle's foot nudged the foot of my desk, snapping me out of my reverie.

"Uh, C?" I blurted out without thinking causing the whole class to laugh at my idiotic attempt to mask the idea of not listening.

Oh if only I could borrow Belle's ability-minus the headaches of course.

Mr. Steven looked at me with a disappointed look on his face while on the corner of my eyes, I saw a smirk coming from a certain jerk of a grasshead while his friend- the obnoxious cheerleader laughed at me.

I rolled my eyes. Dawn's laughs are as fake as her nose. I can't believe everyone likes her. Then again, if you are a popular kid, you're automatically liked by the student body because if they don't, they're gonna be facing hell for the rest of their high school life.

The rest of the populars looked like they were bored out of their minds except Gary who is looking like he wanted to challenge me. He knew how I can be motivated and by trying to trick me into challenging me, I'll be able to get over my humiliation just so I could prove to him that I can actually answer Mr. Steven's question.

Mr. Steven cleared his throat and immediately, the class stopped laughing at me. He then turned to the board and flashed an image of a girl wearing some red outfit with a fierce expression on her eyes. "Miss Maple, now that I have your attention again, would you mind telling me the identity of this person and her significance in our studies?"

I internally groaned. I told Belle and Max that this man has secretly grudge on me but they just wouldn't listen. They thought that I am exaggerating because they told me that I think every teacher are evil menace who are out to get their revenge on me because I don't pay attention much to their classes.

I was about to retaliate when I took a good look on the illustration shown before me. The girl looked like someone I know from before which is strange because this is the first time that Mr. Steven is discussing this to us but for some unknown reason, the glint on her eyes are unmistakable.

As if I was in a trance, I spoke to Mr. Steven-surprising myself and the rest of the class. "Uhm… Her name is Michelle, the female guardian of Hoenn." The confidence in my voice is scary enough for me because I was never this so sure in my life- except maybe if I'm calling out attacks on my pokemon for contest appeals.

"The reason why she is very important in our studies is because she happens to be one of the Guardians tasked to look after the different regions." I continued, shocking everyone with my knowledge.

As if there was an imaginary light bulb, I felt like the answer just poured out on me. I've heard this story before- countless times already.

"She is a guardian because her heart was one of the ten rarest hearts in her time which prompted Arceus to choose her to guard something important. Her determination to save the world had helped maintain the balance of the world and the elements until her very last breath." I ended to which earned an approved nod from Mr. Steven.

"Surprisingly enough, Miss Maple, you managed to do some advanced reading. Keep this up and you might get yourself a nicer grade compared to your last one." He said as he began his lecture.

Out of impulse, I reached out for Belle's hand and immediately, my thoughts penetrated her own.

' _How did I know the answer?_ ' I asked her as my gaze wandered a bit before landing on the same grasshead who had smirked at my embarrassment earlier.

' _What do you think?_ ' Belle fired with her own question. ' _I may have mental projection, but I don't have enough power over it to control what you're supposed to say._ '

My attention went back to what's in front of me only to see a ghost of smile surfaced from grasshead's mouth instead of his usual smirk before he turned his head back in front as if he was never looking at me in the first place.

' _Could your crush be more obvious, May-May?_ ' I could hear Belle's thoughts in my head as the bubble of moment burst as I glared at the back of her head. ' _Geez, from the way you looked at him, it's a miracle Drew hasn't known of your obsession for him._ '

"Shut up," I blurted out before I could even realize that the two of us were not alone.

My face morphed into horror as the class once more laughed at me while Mr. Steven looked at me with disapproving glint on his face.

"Pardon, Miss Maple?" He challenged me as I felt myself shrinking from his gaze while the rest of the class continued laughing. I could even feel my face burning from embarrassment while the chair I was sitting on is starting to get hotter.

Belle managed to sense my embarrassment is taking over my control over my abilities so she took off her headphones and immediately, she glanced back at me.

' _May, control your powers._ ' She frantically tried to calm me down but with her looking at my eyes, she could feel the panic and the fear creeping through my body.

"I-uh- you see-" I tried to explain myself in which resulted to more laughs and snickering from the class.

In attempt to save me from more embarrassment, Isabelle weakly raised her hand, attracting Mr. Steven's attention before she retracted it and placed it on her head.

Mr. Steven rushed towards Belle as he tried to communicate to her through sign language, asking her what's wrong but because through the rushing of thoughts in her head, she couldn't even lift her hand away from her head to sign back to him.

In order to prevent any more damage on my seat, I kneeled towards Belle, who had fallen from her seat due to the intense pain she's feeling. I tried touching her but the moment my hand made contact with her skin, I took it back.

"She's ice cold," I gasped, making two boys rush towards where Mr. Steven and I. I looked up only to see the concern on Gary and that grasshead's face.

I furrowed my eyebrows. Why would grasshead be concerned over Belle? I've never seen them interacted before and Isabelle is really adamant with the thought of not mingling with them until senior year. _So why the sudden concern for her?_ I can understand Gary's concern though since between the three of us, Gary is mostly close with Isabelle.

"This is not good," I heard Gary mumble under his breath. "Belle?" He tried to call her but he received no response, looking up to me in despair.

"Alright Gary, let me try." I heard grasshead as he advanced towards her but I was quicker and stopped his hand from touching her to which allowed me to read his thoughts.

' _Why is April trying to stop me from checking on her friend? Shouldn't she be worried about her? Why am I worried about her? It's not like she is important to me but why am I concerned to the point that I am willing to take her to the clinic?_ ' His thoughts were rushed but even if I don't have Belle's ability to feel the same emotion, I know that he is concerned for her welfare.

"Don't bother," I shrugged his hand off, ignoring the sparks lingering because of his touch. ' _Oh mew, May. Your best friend just saved you from your utter humiliation and here you are, blushing because you held hands with your crush? Get a grip, girl!_ '

"Alright that's enough." Mr. Steven's voice cut through us as the rest of our class peered down to see what happened with Belle. "Mister Oak, please carry Miss Isabelle to the infirmary while Miss Maple informs the headmaster about the incident. Mister Hayden, get back to your seat as your presence is no relevance to the matter. Now all of you get back to your seats before I call out detention for all of you!"

As fast as a lightning, I saw Gary scooped Isabelle unto his arms like she weighed nothing and followed him outside the class.

I snuck a glance at grasshead only to be surprised at the hurt expression his eyes had before going back to his seat.

I turned back to where Gary was supposed to be only to find myself looking at the empty hallways. I blinked trying to grasp what happened. I was sure that Gary was here earlier but why did he suddenly vanished? I glanced around hoping to find even Gary's shadow but it was no such luck.

 _Maybe he's already in the infirmary?_ I shook my head. _Silly, Maple. That's impossible. The infirmary's on the other side of the building how on earth would he manage to get there immediately?_

I sighed as I gave up trying to figure out where he could have gone and began my way towards the headmaster's office, trying to ease up the anxiousness building up inside. I may have gotten away with the embarrassment but it was to Isabelle's cost.

* * *

I'm such a horrible friend. I can't believe I just let Belle took a fall just because I'm losing control of my embarrassment earlier. I raised my hand and knocked on my head. I shouldn't have lost control like that. I shouldn't-

"Miss Maple," Someone called out on me, making me jump in surprise.

"-careless!" I blurted out without thinking, internally groaning as I just repeated what happened earlier when Mr. Steven called me while I was zoning out. Just my luck, the person who happened to call my name is none other than the headmaster of Oak Academy.

I mentally slapped myself as I grinned sheepishly at the elderly looking man with grey streaks in his hair.

"Hello Professor Oak," I greeted him as he smiled down at me while I silently berate myself for not paying attention with the surroundings.

"Hello to you too, Miss Maple," He greeted in a grandfatherly manner. "Though I am happy to see you around, may I ask why are you wandering the hallways at this time? Don't you have classes right now?" He asked to which I am grateful for.

"Well, funny story actually…" My voice trailed off in embarrassment. "You see, I kinda embarrassed myself earlier causing me to lose control but before everyone could even notice, Belle saved me by removing her headphones causing her to have a terrible headache that knocked her cold then Gary, grasshead and I surrounded her while Mr. Steven was trying to control the class but then he told Gary to bring her to the infirmary while I should go and tell you what happened so Gary and I left the room and I zoned out a bit then when I turned around, I couldn't see Gary. I figured he already went to the infirmary but I couldn't even see his shadow or traces that he just left. It's not like he can run that fast right? Then I have to look for you and here you are." I told everything in one breath, hoping that Professor Oak had caught all of that.

"I'm sorry my dear but could you repeat that?" He gave me a confused look. "And slower this time."

And so I sighed and repeated what I told him.

* * *

"You're alright!" I sighed in relief when I saw Isabelle already alright from her state earlier and was talking to Gary.

The infirmary is really huge since it also serves as a Pokemon Center for all of the pokemons of each trainer enrolled in this academy. There are Chanceys that are roaming around for the pokemon while Nurse Joy tends to the students here in the academy.

It's a good thing that Nurse Joy had already reserved a room in the infirmary for Belle since she has the most record of being admitted here due to her constant headaches. Reserving a room is sometimes what Nurse Joy does if the student has a constant record of getting hurt. Even I have my own reserved room because of my constant tripping and my clumsiness.

Both their heads turned to Professor and I simultaneously, her face displayed with confusion while Gary greeted his grandfather.

She held out her hand for me, letting me hug her while I invade her thoughts. ' _You alright? I could still sense embarrassment from you?_ ' She asked me.

 _'Dummy. You were the one who fainted yet you are asking if I am okay?'_ I asked her in my own thought while I pulled away to avoid suspicion from Gary.

"So mind telling us why you fainted, Belle?" Professor Oak decided to cut through our little greeting with each other. Belle looked up and met gazes with Professor Oak-no doubt using her ability making the old man sigh as he turned to his grandson who is waiting for Belle's answer as well. Huh, I thought he would've extracted answers from her the moment she woke up.

"You can go back to your class now, Gary." He said to which earned a surprised look from him.

"But gramps-" He started to protest but the older man shot him a look to which made him sigh, turning his attention to me. "Let's go May." He held out his hand for me to take. I was about to when Professor took my hand and placed it down.

"I need to talk to May about what happened as well, Gary." Professor Oak said in a serious tone, making me almost shiver. I don't like it when Professor Oak acts all headmaster like and judging by the look on his face, neither does Gary.

"Fine," He huffed as he saluted me and Belle. "Your dinner tonight will be on me, girls." He said before leaving us with Professor.

When Professor was sure that Gary had gone back to his class and hasn't been lurking around to eavesdrop on us, he turned to Belle. "You can drop the wall now."

We're not worried about Nurse Joy barging in on us since she is always in the reception area, ready for any emergency.

' _Thanks Professor,_ ' Belle projected her thoughts at the two of us for her to communicate easier than sign language. She then turned to me. _'You almost lost control earlier._ '

I closed my eyes and bit my lips. I know she isn't condescending me; rather, she was curious as to why I almost had blown our covers. I could feel the pressure of their gaze through my eyelids as they waited for my answer.

Along the way, I had explained to Professor Oak my side of the story, leaving out the few embarrassing tease from Belle about grasshead so he knew what Belle was asking from me.

' _I don't know why it happened. I swear it was an accident!_ ' I told them finally. ' _I'm not even sure how it happened. One moment I was gripping my seat, the next thing I knew my hands feel hot._ ' I explained as Professor Oak pulled out his thinking face. _'I haven't felt my powers ever since that burning bush incident when we were twelve._ '

My parents knew that I was special right from the moment I was born, they knew that I was destined to do great things and all and their hunch was right when I sneezed and small flakes of fire came out of my mouth when I was four and since then, they told me about the wonders of mythologies and legends though I have forgotten most of them.

When I met Isabelle and discovered that she too, can wield an element, she had explained that powers and abilities are two separate things. While the abilities are hidden manifestations inside of us, traits that can be helpful or not to a person; it can be concealed as if it is another skill of a person. Kinda like our ability to hear thoughts. Powers on the other hand, had to be honed as what she said. We need to have extensive training for such starting in a young age. But she also said that powers are unpredictable unlike abilities. They show up in different stages of life and they may develop at an older stage.

She even told me I was lucky that I was able to pinpoint my power at a young and early stage while hers has to be forced to come out on its own, making her fear for the worst of it. Nonetheless, we still don't know what to do with them since we haven't had proper training. All we did was play with our powers a little bit when we were young until the burning bush incident.

We were twelve and we were playing with Max in Professor Oak's ranch since Gary doesn't really want us to go in the lab because we aren't old enough to be there. (He was still a jerk to us back then) and since Max knew about our powers and abilities, we were putting a show just for him where he would pretend that Belle and I were pokemon and he would call out attacks. It just so happened that I tripped over a root of a tree, making me shoot flames. It's a good thing that Belle has a fast reflexes and managed to tackle Max out of the way before I burn him to death. I managed to ignite the bush nearby, nearly causing a forest fire if it weren't for Professor Oak.

Since then, my powers went neutral until now.

' _Haven't felt your powers since you were twelve, you say?_ ' Professor Oak's voice snapped me off my reverie. ' _Then I suppose it's time._ ' He said as he looked at both of us.

My eyebrows furrowed. ' _Time for what?_ ' I asked as I glanced at Belle only to have her jaw dropped. ' _Hello?_ ' I asked as I waved my hand in front of her, making her blink.

' _You don't mean…_ ' She asked him to which he nodded quickly.

' _Uh hello?_ ' I asked them, offended that they weren't paying attention to me. I turned to Professor. ' _Time for what?_ '

Belle looked at me before rolling her eyes. ' _We're going to continue our journey._ ' She said to which made my eyes widen.

' _What…?_ ' I turned to Professor who was in a deep thought. ' _We're going to…_ '

Belle nodded. ' _Isn't that right, Professor?'_ She confirmed.

Professor Oak snapped out of his thoughts as he turned back to us. ' _Yes, my dear._ ' He answered Belle. ' _You two are going back to your journey. But before that, I'd like to make a few arrangements and conditions._ ' He said as I glanced back at Belle only to see her horrified face.

I may not have telepathy like Belle but judging from her expression, whatever Professor Oak's conditions are, I'm sure they're not good.


	4. 3- Isabelle

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

* * *

"You're kidding, right?" May asked me as soon as I had Nurse Joy's approval to leave the infirmary. "Tell me you're kidding."

We were walking around the campus to kill time since I don't want to go back to Mr. Steven's class because of the whole incident. I'm not even sure if I could show my face to them because of the embarrassment. So instead, I asked May to ditch class with me again- I've got a habit of ditching class in order to escape students and their thoughts and sometimes, because of my habit, I unintentionally drag May into it, making me a bad influence in her life.

' _Oh how I wish I'm kidding._ ' I told her as I watched her swing her arms back and forth, creating a thin trail of fire. Since we are walking in the most secluded part of the school- somewhere near the Oaks' residence, we decided to let loose of our abilities so as we have better control of them next time. Professor Oak had already given us his consent since our abilities are showing. ' _But eyes can't lie, May. Those were the conditions of Professor Oak._ '

She groaned, clearly she doesn't like every bit of the conditions Professor had given us. "But they'll never believe us!" She protested as she stomped her foot to the ground, leaving a burnt grass on its wake. "No matter what we tell them, even if we have at least one person on our side, they would never want to travel with us because of our school status." She said sadly as she hung her head in what she thought would be defeat.

I looked at her curiously. ' _You wanted to leave so badly_ ,' I told her after observing her for another minute or so. ' _Why? I mean you don't have anything to gain from this rather, you might be even sacrificing the life you have._ ' I asked her.

She refused to look me in the eye as she shifted from one foot to another while her forefingers were playing with each other- a nervous habit she has.

For the past seven years of our friendship, I had learned that it is best to leave her on her own thoughts especially if she is playing with her forefingers. She tends to collect her thoughts and organize them before talking since her thoughts are always chaotic and messy. I, myself couldn't even comprehend anything out of her thoughts.

"All your life, you've had suffered because you wanted to know the answers to your-our questions." She continued. "I think this journey will give you the answers so I wanted to help you find it."

I raised my eyebrow as she mistakenly glanced my way before looking away. I chuckled to myself. Sometimes, I thank whoever my parents are for having genius genes in them and for passing all of it to me.

I smirked to myself as I closed my eyes and waited for her to voice out the real reason.

"…And I might have wanted to go travelling instead of being stuck in school." She mumbled, making me laugh silently. Because I haven't talked in seven years, my ability to produce sounds had diminished throughout the years.

The doctors say I might regain it but since my case is because of trauma, the doctors had concluded that I might regain it through something that might trigger it. Translation? It's all in my head.

May looked at me, embarrassed. "Oh shut up, Belle!" She playfully shoved me as I continue to my silent fits.

I finally stopped when I heard her stomping her way towards the house. Since school won't be over for another hour and a half, I knew there would be no one but us right now. ' _But I didn't say anything!_ ' I went after her, only to hear her groan in response.

"You're being mean!"

 _No wonder Max loved teasing this girl,_ I mused as I followed her. _Her reactions are amusing._

* * *

"You two are being stupid,"

I rolled my eyes for the fifth time as Max watched me pack all the things necessary. May and I had already made our minds about continuing the journey we had when we were young.

' _We didn't ask for your opinion, Max._ ' I threw into his mind as I continued packing. _'We're going to do this even if you don't agree with our plan.'_

"Yeah," May agreed with me as she packed her own stuff. She and I shared the same room with her side painted red all over while mine was painted pale blue. She took the left side of the room while I took the right side. "We just told you for the sake of it, since we know how much you hated being excluded from the plans Belle and I make."

"And the Princesses of Stubbornness is back." He mumbled as May and I turned to glare at him, meeting his eyes.

' _I just don't want to let you go on your own. Knowing you, you'd let me stay here to watch over Professor Oak so I can't really protect you guys._ ' **Concern.**

"You're just saying that because you're jealous that we're finally going to continue our journey without you." May stuck her tongue at him to which he responded by doing the same thing.

"Not true!" he denied. "I'm glad that I won't have to wake up with your constant noise and I won't be late with my classes because of you!" He exclaimed to which May took offense at.

' _Break it up you guys,_ ' I rolled my eyes as May continued packing when she saw the glare I was giving them. ' _May, we have to leave now if we expect to be in Dewford Town before Gary catches us._ ' I turned to Max and gave him a new pokenav. ' _We'll call you whenever we can alright?_ ' He nodded his head knowing I'll be asking for another favor. ' _Just do whatever you can to stall Gary and give him a hint as to where we're going can you do that for me, little brother?_ '

Max sighed as May and I readied ourselves. "You two are going to be the death of me." He said as we reached to hug him as farewell. "Just come back home to me, okay?" I could sense the intense sadness that he is feeling right now.

I know that I'm asking that much from him since I am the one separating him from his sister- the only family he has left since his parents had died when he was at a younger age. The least I could do is to make sure that May comes back to him- alive and well, even if it's the last thing I'll do.

I latched my pinky onto his awaiting ones. ' _You have my word, Maxwell. I'll make sure your sister will come back to you._ '

Max looked at me with a funny expression. He knows that there is something I'm holding back from him but since May and I are in a hurry; he had let the matter drop. He turned to May and gave her his words before we leave so I let them do their own thing.

After few more moments of farewell, we are off to our awaiting journey.

* * *

"Are you sure Gary will come after us?" I heard May mumble to herself as we reached the forest outside the city. It's a good thing that Slateport is just two towns away from Rustboro. That way, Gary will be able to find us immediately… that is, if Max hadn't told him our destination yet.

' _We've known Gary for seven years,_ ' I told her confidently. ' _He may have been eager to make us leave when we were ten but now, I think that boy would do anything to lock us down._ ' She turned to me only to see me smirking to myself.

"What's with the smirk?" She asked, her voice faltering slightly as she narrowed her eyes at me as if she mistaken me for someone else. ' _If I didn't know any better, I'd say she looked just like Grasshead with that smirk of hers._ ' She thought as her eyes widened when she realized that I've been staring at her eyes.

"That's not fair!" May whined as she tried to cover her eyes by cupping her hand over her eyes while I raised an eyebrow at her, amused by her thoughts. "How come you get to invade my thoughts just by looking through my eyes?" She pursed her lips in annoyance. "Not to mention, you are always in pain because of your abilities."

' _No one is meant to be perfect, I guess. Not even the guardians._ ' I contemplated as I placed my arms behind my back. ' _Though, I read it somewhere that once the gemstones that were bestowed by Arceus are returned to us, our abilities might lose the flaws._ ' I explained to her as I felt a stinging sensation on my back made me stagger to my feet, to which May noticed and went to my aid.

"Belle, are you alright?" She asked me as she pulled me to my feet. "Don't tell me, you're becoming a klutz just like-"

I turned to her with eyes widened as I grabbed her wrist and made a run back. ' _We have to go back to Rustboro forest._ ' I answered her silent questions. Even though I wasn't looking at her, her thoughts penetrated mine through my touch. ' _I have a feeling that there is something causing the pain on my back._ '

* * *

And I was right, my instinct was right.

May and I ran as if our lives depended on it until we reached Rustboro forest which is miles away from the town. May looked horrified at the sight of a beast encased in a glass looking body as it attacked… is that Gary and his friends?

"Don't tell me that's the same creature-" She started while I nodded in affirmation. Seven years ago, back when the Maple siblings and I were travelling together, we had encountered strange creatures that had the bodies of different elements. In a glance, they could be mistaken as pokemon but when we realized that no pokemon attacks work on them, we had come to conclusion that they were sent for us.

Fortunately for us, we managed to evade most of them since there are pokemon living in the wild that tried to attack them, making us leave unscathed.

However, I don't think that luck is on our side now since Drew, Paul, Ash, Dylan, and Gary all had their pokemon out and are currently attacking the said beast while Misty, Dawn, and Leaf are in the clutches of the beast.

"What should we do?" May whispered to me as we both crept silently to avoid being the center of the attention of the beast, her, going towards where the boys are while I climbed a tree. "Please tell me you managed to research everything before we left." She pleaded as I tried to get around from the trees so as I could have a view of the beast's eyes.

' _That beast originated from Snowpoint city in Sinnoh. That creature is designed to kill the fire guardian, a.k.a you by freezing to death. Anyone in the vicinity of it, shall feel tremendous cold and I don't think anyone can survive that except for the ice guardian._ ' I informed her to which she visibly paled.

' _Great. I just left for an adventure, and I get an assassinator in my plate._ '

 _'Here's the plan,_ ' I threw my mind towards her. Ever since Professor Oak found out about our abilities, he was the one encouraging us to train ourselves to make better use of our abilities and to expand its capabilities. ' _I'll face the beast; you make sure that they are in a safe zone._ ' I told her to which snapped her into glaring at me.

' _Are you out of your mind?_ ' She screamed in her thoughts as I kept the link between us. ' _What if you get caught then? You don't have your pokemon with you, how are you going to get away?_ '

I smirked and held my hand out where she could see the pokeballs I packed beforehand. ' _I've got Skarmory with me, don't worry._ '

' _You sure you don't need me?_ ' She asked me. ' _I'm willing to use my awesome powers so this won't take too long._ '

' _And let those girls burn to death? As much as I dislike their attitude towards me, I don't think those guys would appreciate it. Not to mention, you still can't control your powers._ '

' _And you can?'_ She countered.

' _Better than you, I suppose. Face it, Maple. You're on guard duty._ ' I ended our conversation.

' _Just make sure you stay alive._ ' She told me, taking my cue. Taking a deep breath, I silently formed a bow and an arrow finely made out of ice. I tested its string to make sure that the string made out of ice won't snap immediately. The string looks like a frozen spider silk and the arrow looked sturdy enough to pierce through the beast's claws.

' _Do you even know how to use bow and arrow?_ ' May's voice cut me through my concentration as I looked down to where she is. She's crutched down, waiting for me to reveal myself before she gets them to safety. _'Last I checked you needed eyeglasses so I think your eyesight isn't as sharp as what you think.'_

' _Huh,_ ' I let out an amused smile. ' _Let's find out then._ ' I told her, positioning the arrow to its aim.

' _Let's find out what?_ ' I could feel her thoughts faltering as if she is panicking. The link I had placed between May and I could only work when the two of us are in a calm state. ' _You're not really going to-'_

I cut her off by releasing the arrow from the bow, watching as it flew straight, making a perfect cut to the wrists of the beast, releasing its captives.

May looked at me from where she was with her jaw hanging down in shock. I smirked at her as I jumped from the branch I was standing on to face the beast while she shook her head and ran towards the three girls.

She took her time to glare at me. ' _That was risky!_ ' She berated. I could feel her panic through her eyes as she took Leaf and Misty's hands, directing them to safety. ' _Tell the lads to call off their pokemon,_ ' I instructed her as she nodded silently at me. I could feel the lads' curious gaze burning through my back, and I'm sure that Gary will be giving us an earful later on but right now, there's something else I should focus on.

I looked back to the beast that had let out an ear piercing roar, shooting ice shards from its mouth. I could tell that I had angered it just by cutting off his wrist and letting his prisoners free from its clutches. I easily deflected the shards, directing them towards the trees where I knew they would melt but with how fast the beast release its breath, I looked down and saw Dawn kneeling on the ground.

I looked back and saw that the beast will release its shard and if Dawn stayed where she is, she will be pierced. Just as I was about to run towards her, I felt the swoosh of the wind and the next thing I knew, Gary was kneeling beside Dawn, ready to carry her to safety when another wave of ice shards were sent on their way. I reacted immediately as I ran towards their side and ready to send an ice barrier only for an unimaginable to happen.

Dawn raised her hands as if by doing such action would stop the shards from falling. Instead, a huge dome of light surrounded both of us, fending the shards from piercing any of us.

' _What the hell was that?_ '

I looked at Gary who had this surprised look written all over his face. " _You have to get out of here before that beast charges again,_ " I signed to him to which he nodded in understanding.

"I'm going after you next, so just hang on. Oh and you and May have a lot of explaining to do." He promised as he sped towards where May and the others were. I met May's gaze and just nodded at her to make sure that no one gets to leave.

Gary must've sensed our exchange because he was already up to his feet. Just as before he could run over to where I am, May managed to create a ring of fire that surrounded the group.

"What the heck, May?!" I heard Gary shout at her.

' _You so owe me for this, Belle._ ' I heard May tell me through our link as I prepared myself to face the beast. Just as I am about to release another wave of ice, one of my pokemon released itself. I found myself looking to the eyes of my ever so faithful Lucario.

' _You're not planning on facing that beast yourself, are you?_ ' He asked as he charged an Aura Sphere towards the beast's attack. Lucario took advantage of the moment's confusion and carried me away from the beast's line of vision. ' _You haven't even completed training yet!_ ' He scolded me as he let me shoot ice energy towards the beast.

' _Scold me later,_ ' I grunted as I released a wave of blizzard towards the beast, momentarily blinding it, creating an opening for us to escape its clutches. I turned to May and the others who looked flabbergasted at the scene in front of them. ' _Quick May, run for it!_ ' I screamed at her in my head as she jolted from her frozen state and grabbed the wrists of whoever she's near to and made a run for it.

I looked at Lucario and gave him a sheepish grin while he looked at me, ready to scold. I grabbed him and made a run towards the opposite direction towards the Dewford clearing where May and I were supposed to be.

' _What about Maybelle?_ ' Lucario asked me as I shook my head and sent her our location through our weakening link.

' _She'll find me. Don't worry. She always does._ '

* * *

 **A/N: Not my best but I'll make it up to you as soon as I figured out what I wanted to do with this story...**


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